Impossible
by Lady Dudley
Summary: Follow on of sorts to "The Right" and inspired by "Fearful Lightening": Someone's been telling tales about Jackie


**A/N: I (re)watched "Fearful Lightening" today and was inspired by Robbie's lie about Jackie's availability. This turned out differently to how I was planning, but I hope you enjoy it and kind of follows on from my previous story "The Right" which you don't need to have read. The opening lines come from an episode of ST:DS9.**

 **Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

 _ **Impossible**_

Jackie returned from the canteen, coffee in tow and sat down at her desk. She regarded Robbie for a long moment as he sat reading a report, his feet propped up on his desk.

"I heard an interesting rumour today," she began in a conversational tone, taking a sip of her drink as she watched him.

Robbie didn't look up, "Only one? I started twelve"

Jackie resisted the urge to roll her eyes, "Hmm, apparently I'm married with three kids?"

Robbie glanced at her, "Well, you certainly kept that quiet," he commented after a long moment.

Jackie pulled a face at him, "Nice try, Robbie, but I know it was you."

Robbie sat up, "Me?"

"You."

"I'm terribly sorry to disappoint you, Detective Sergeant," Robbie told her, sitting back, "but I had nothing to do with it."

Jackie frowned, "Really?"

"Really, really. Perhaps you should try a little closer to home," he suggested, nodding in the direction of the closed door to Michael's office as he put his feet back on his desk.

Jackie followed his gaze, "Don't be ridiculous," she scoffed.

"Oh, so it's perfectly natural that I'd tell tall tales but not Mike, is that it?" Robbie retorted.

Jackie looked thoughtful, "But why would-?"

"Think, Jackie, think _really_ hard," Robbie advised, turning his attention back to the report.

"No," Jackie said finally, shaking her head, "he wouldn't."

"Do the words 'Property of Michael Jardine' mean anything to you?" Robbie asked absently, turning the page in his report.

Jackie shot him a warning look, "Robbie…"

"Maybe I'm wrong," Robbie conceded, looking up at her, "but if _I_ didn't say anything like that and Stuart _wouldn't_ say anything like that, who does that leave?"

Jackie chewed her lip thoughtfully as her eyes drifted back towards Michael's door. She glanced at Robbie again who merely raised his eyebrows before turning back to his report.

Despite (begrudgingly) seeing the logic behind Robbie's reasoning, it wasn't until much later that evening that Jackie was able to confront Michael about it.

"I heard an interesting rumour today," she began easily, watching him sort out the Chinese takeaway they'd ordered on their way back to his flat.

"Oh, yes?" Michael asked absently, handing her a carton and searching through the bag for chopsticks.

"Apparently I'm married with three kids," she informed him, sitting down at the table and watching him closely. She raised an eyebrow as he started to go a little pink, "You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?" she asked, accepting the chopsticks he handed her without quite meeting her eyes.

Michael cleared his throat, "Um…"

"Well?" Jackie prompted as she watched him sit down opposite her.

"I'm sorry Jackie, I just…" he met her eyes briefly, "I'm sorry," he repeated, concentrating on opening his carton of Chinese.

Jackie took a bite of her own meal and chewed it thoughtfully for a moment, "I forgive you, what puzzles me is…why?"

"Momentary insanity?" Michael offered, shooting her a self-deprecating smile. "I'm sorry Jackie," he said with a sigh, "you're the only one who has the right to tell someone to back off, I shouldn't have interfered."

Jackie watched him concentrate on his food for a long moment, "I thought we agreed that you also had the right to say something?" she asked finally.

"We also agreed to be discreet," Michael reminded her, finally meeting her gaze, "somehow threatening to break his jaw if he looked at you like that again didn't seem very discreet."

Jackie raised both eyebrows, "Break his jaw?"

Michael's lip twitched, "Too much?"

Jackie shook her head, "You're impossible."

Michael shrugged a shoulder, "But you love me."

Jackie smiled, "And perhaps we should just go with _that_ story rather than anything else." She paused, "Or causing physical injury."

Michael flashed her a grin, "Seems fair."

"And you can be the one to tell Robbie and Stuart," she added decisively, turning back to her food.

Michael shook his head, "Oh no," he protested, "they're detectives, let them figure it out."

Jackie shook her head in mock exasperation, "Like I said: impossible."

"But you love me," Michael repeated confidently.

"Yes I do," Jackie agreed.

They shared a smile before returning to their meal in companionable silence, both pleased that their relationship would no longer have to be kept under wraps.


End file.
